Hitching-weight



.(No Model.)

A. STOLTZ & 0. A. CANNON.

HITOHING WEIGHT.

No. 453,219. Patented June 2, 1891.

SUM 5140,13

UN TED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

ADAM STOLTZ AND CHARLES AUGUSTUS CANNON, OF ASPEN, COLORADO.

HITCHING-WEIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,219, dated June 2, 1891.

Application filed September 1].,1890. serial N0- 364,690. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ADAM SToLTz and CHARLES AUGUSTUS CANNON, citizens of the United States, residing at Aspen,in the county of Pitkin and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hitching-WVeights; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and .use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to devices for hitching horses and other beasts of burden; and it is especially adapted to be used with single or double teams of horses.

The invention consists of a weight connected by a chain or other flexible connection with the horses bit, and also with a lever or other suitable suspending device attached to the vehicle to which the horse is harnessed, whereby the weight can be raised to relieve the bit from its eifect, or lowered to rest upon the ground and act as the ordinary hitchingweight.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wagon equipped with our improvement, certain parts being broken away to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the suspension device and its retaining-catch.

The weight A may be of any suitable size or shape. It is provided with a chain B'or other flexibleconnection, by means of which it is attached to the bits of the horse or horses,

as shown, the chain being long enough to reach to and under the wagon-body 0.

Near the front end of the wagon is a pul ley D, projecting downward from the bottom of the body. A cord, strap, or chain E runs over this pulley,"being attached to the weight A at one end and at the other end being fastv ened to some device by which it can be pulled up to raise the weight. We prefer to fasten the chain to a lever F, extending up through a slot 0 in the Wagon-body and fulcruined at a point between its ends to the ears g of two bars G, secured to the body. IVe prefer to let the bars into the under side of the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2, the ears projecting up through recesses formed in the sides of the slot 0. The bars are preferably arranged transversely to the slot 0, as shown, the slot being long enough to permit the lever to swing through sufticientof an arc to raise the weight A from the ground to the pulley D when the lever is manipulated.

To look the lever and hold the weight in its raised position, we provide a pin f near the upper end of the lever, projecting laterally and adapted to come in contact with the beveled face of a hook or catch H when the lever is depressed. The catch may be of any suitable construction; but we prefer to,make it a spring-catch consisting of an L-shaped piece of resilient metal secured to the floor of the wagon and having its upwardly-projecting arm provided with a hook it, above which is the beveled face above referred to, by means of which the pin f is enabled to force back the catch and slip under the hook. In order that the lever may be readily operated by the foot of the driver, a laterally-projecting pedal f is provided on the opposite side from the pin f. When the team is to be hitched, the spring-catch is pressed forward,

releasing the pin f and allowing the weight A to fall to the ground, where it acts as an ordinary hitching-weight through its chain B. When the driver is ready to start again, he places his foot on the pedal f and shoves the upper end of the lever down until the pin f catches under the hook h, the movement of the lever raising the weight and relieving the chain B from any strain.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A hitching device comprising a suitable weight, a flexible connection between said weight and the bridle-bit on the draft-animal, a chain for raising and lowering the weight to relieve or apply the strain, and a foot-1ever fulcrumed upon the vehicle, to which is secured one end of the chain.

2. A hitching device comprising the weight A, a flexible line 13, attached to said weight, for connecting it directly with the bridle-bit on the draft-animal, a foot-lever fulcrumed on the vehicle, a chain E, secured at one end to the lever and at the other to the weight, and a catch for holding the lever.

3. A hitching device comprising the pulley In testimony whereof we affix our signatures D, the Weight A, provided with the chain 15, in presence of two Witnesses.

the lever 1 passing through a slot in the floor A v r r DAM STOLP/J. of the Whale the chaln E attached to the i 1 i 1 .H 5 weight and to the lever andbassing over the CHARLES AUGUS 1 Us CANNON pulley, and the spring-hook H for holding the Witnesses: lever when depressed, substantially as de- GEO. VAN DAVEER, scribed.

S. J. PRISK. 

